


Columns in the dark

by vermicious_knid



Category: Hercules (1997)
Genre: Disney, F/M, High School AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-05 01:13:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16357799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vermicious_knid/pseuds/vermicious_knid
Summary: Some guy, a scrawny freshman named Hercules (his parents must have been stoned or hippies) comes back after summer vacation – and not so scrawny anymore. Now, he’s all muscle. Now, girls stare after him in the hallway, asking for his phone number, leaving love letters in his locker. He can chug down a whole keg of beer without taking a breath, and rumor has it that NASA has sent down scientists to analyze his muscle tissue, because apparently teenage boys are not supposed to be that strong.And the football coach does not waste any time recruiting him.This is all that Meg O'Hara knows, and she already hates him.





	1. Chapter 1

The football team of Thebe high has always been shit. That is just a fact universally acknowledged, or whatever. They have always been pretty unlucky too, with players falling ill, catching fire (!?) or disappearing without a trace. Its no wonder that the ruthless team from Erebus High always wins.

 

That is, until something unexpected suddenly happened.

 

Some guy, a scrawny freshman named Hercules (his parents must have been stoned or hippies) comes back after summer vacation – and not so scrawny anymore. Now, he’s all muscle. Now, girls stare after him in the hallway, asking for his phone number, leaving love letters in his locker. He can chug down a whole keg of beer without taking a breath, and rumor has it that NASA has sent down scientists to analyze his muscle tissue, because apparently teenage boys are not supposed to be that strong.

 

And the football coach does not waste any time recruiting him.

 

This is all that Meg O'Hara knows, and she already hates him. 

 

* * *

 

”Hey Meg, got a spare?”

 

Hades approaches her under the bleachers, his dark eyes gleaming with mischief. He’s wearing a spiked blue leather jacket, dark hair falling into his eyes. She looks at him and rolls her eyes, but fishes out a cigarette for him like he asks.

 

Smoking under the bleachers is cliche, but so is nearly everything about high school anyway. Hades doesn't even go to Thebes. And yet here he is, standing with her in the shadows, watching the cheerleaders practice with obnoxious and shameless glee on his face. She knows he’s got his eye on a certain blonde cheerleader in particular, but knows that if she ever brought it up he’d deny it to his grave.

 

”What are you doing here?” she asks, even though she knows.

 

”Aww, can’t a guy just check in with his best friend in the whole wide world?”

 

And it is true, they are friends. Were something else, something more for a while – though while that was interesting, it was also pretty infuriating. Now he comes around whenever Thebes is prepping for a new game, or making preparations for prom.

 

See, there has been this ongoing feud between Thebes and Erebus for quite a while. The kids at Erebus are different, vicious. They like to play pranks and get into fights with the jocks from Thebes whenever they can. Last year they stole the schools mascot (a stuffed warthog) and dyed it purple. But Meg can already tell that this year is going to be different.

 

Because Hercules is on the team now, and they have not lost a single game since april. If they keep this up, Erebus will not go on to state championship.

 

”They are getting better, you already know that. ”

 

”And what can be done to change it?” he asks, looking at her for answers. Its not that he trusts her, its that he has enough information on her to get her expelled. She may be merely an outcast now, but not so long ago, she did some pretty stupid shit. And he was there for all of it.

 

She stares out at the field, watching the practice for a minute before she gives him a reply.

 

”Many things. Just give me time.”


	2. Chapter 2

When its time for P.E, Meg usually skips. But today she can’t, because she knows through her sources that they are checking the attendance sheet today, and those missing from it will have to put in extra credit.

She waits after all the other girls have changed, then flicks off all the lights and gets into her gym clothes in the dark. This way, she won’t have to look at the scar across her stomach.

* * *

 

They are running laps around the football field, and it just so happens that the team is having another practice today. While many of the girls stop and flirt with them, Meg watches how they play. Looks at the water canteen by the benches, considering how it could be sabotaged.

She is so focused on this that she doesn’t see him until he’s standing right in front of her, waving and smiling. Auburn hair styled to perfection, muscles gleaming in the sunlight. He is good looking, even she can admit that.

”Hi!” he says, quite loudly, making her jump. Hercules looks down at her with piercing blue eyes, his whole being radiating sunshine and puppydogs. Meg blinks at him, crosses her arms over her chest defensively.

”Uh...Hi.”

”You shoelace is undone, just wanted to let you know.”

”Ok, Thanks.”

And she thinks that’s the end of it. But nope – he bends down and...ties her shoelace. Like that is a service he provides. Doesn't ask her, just plops down on one knee and ties the laces neatly. For a moment, all Meg can do is stare down at him with her mouth open. While he’s down there, he starts talking again, casually observing her footwear.

”Y’know, these shoes arent the best for running. The soles do not absorb your feet upon impact very well, you should look into getting a pair from New Balance or Nike. Adidas is shit though.”

He lets her foot go and looks up at her with a megawatt smile that almost hurts her eyes.

”There, all done!”

In liu of an answer, she just stares at him, disturbed. When she starts running again, she hears his voice yelling ”And remember to roll your feet, roll!”

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

”So that boy and you – a perfect kodak moment if I ever saw one.”

 

It is just like Hades to wander into the halls of their school like he owns it, even though he looks very out of place here with his dark clothes and stark features. Meg rolls her eyes and slams the door of her locker shut, turning to face him.

 

”What are you talking about?” she mutters, bored of his antics. He always comes when the halls are conveniently empty of other students, so no suspicion will ever be raised against her. He shrugs casually and leans against the locker next to hers, scratches his jaw. His hair is recently dyed an electric blue color, long bangs covering half of his face.

 

”Manny and Peter told me they saw you talking to Hercules the other day.” he says. _Oh, so that is what this is about._ Meg shakes her head in disgust. Those two limp idiots who fawn in his shadow happen to go to Thebe as well, and are always sneaking around, cutting class to do his bidding.

 

”Ugh, don’t remind me.” she says, and wonders where he is going with this. Hades nods and gives her a sinister look – she knows it well.

 

”Actually, even though bile rose in my throat when I heard, it gave me a funny little idea.” the moment he says it she knows it will end badly. She sighs and start walking away, but of course he follows her. He always follow her.

 

”Oh brother.”

 

Falling in step next to her, he continues.

 

”As I’m sure you are aware of, the minotaurs are pretty pissed that they’ve lost every game this season. And come on – we all know who we can blame for that. _He_ needs to be taught a lesson. And you've said that you'd be willing to help.” he says, fisting his spindly hand in the air, all theatricality.

 

”How much do they pay you to make it happen?” she asks, because Hades never does something for free. He laughs at her loudly, cackles like she just said something really funny.

 

”Honey, you know I can’t talk exact figures! But lets just say that it’ll be enough to split it evenly between us. And who knows, it might just be the figure you have in mind.”

 

That makes her stop in her tracks. Damn him, he always knows how to get her to listen. And she, well.

 

She needs the money too – but not for herself. She falters, but then turns to face him fully, her face focused.

 

”What do you want me to do?”

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

”I want you to make friends with him. Or ehm, get even more friendlier...”

 

”How is that going to help?”

 

”Find out his weaknesses – his likes, dislikes. If you get to know the boy, it will be easy to figure out how to get him to fail. ”

 

* * *

 

Meg is one of those girls who does not get along well with others of her sex – and she does not like them back much either. Men and boys however, has never been a problem.

 

Only now, there is.

 

Hercules is every inch her opposite. He is athletic, healthy, energetic, happy-go-lucky and outspoken. He doesn’t drink or smoke – hell, the guy is pure as the driven snow. She is broody, likes to binge-watch say yes to the dress for ten hours in a row or more, stays away from people and likes to make evil schemes with a maniacal gang leader.

 

She tries to jog the same route he does in the mornings around the school grounds, so that way she could ”accidentally” bump into him and talk while they ran. But she lasts no longer than five minutes before she is a heaving, wheezing mess on the ground – watching as Hercules magnificent bod runs away into the distance.

 

She also tries to wait for him by the bleachers when the team is practicing – and she’s not alone doing that either. He’s got quite the female fanbase going on, lots of girls cutting class to watch him flex his muscles and exert himself, cheering him on. But the funny thing is, he doesn't pay much attention to it at all.

 

Once or twice he looks to the girls and smile, but that’s about it. It throws her off a little at first, this abnormal behavior (for a jock at least). Then she hears a loud, irritating brooklyn-accented voice screaming his name, and THAT gets his full attention.

 

A small, scrubby looking man dressed in a (frankly appalling) orange tracksuit is standing next to an ice cooler full of water bottles for the team, with an almost comically large microphone in his hand. Like a small drill sergeant, his nagging voice booms out insults, instructions and compliments in a neverending stream.

 

”AND BEND YOUR HEAD BACK -BEND IT BACK MORE – THAT’S IT! YES! NOW WE’RE TALKIN’.”

 

And his is how she comes to know about Phil, Hercules personal trainer and coach.

 

Apparently, the man was hired sometime before their summer vacation by Hercules amazingly rich parents. Why or how it happened nobody knows, but it appears Phil is somewhat of a national celebrity, who used to coach people like Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps. He is also a big pain in the ass, because whenever he is around, it is impossible to get close to the boy wonder.

* * *

 

 

But Meg is good at plotting. Somewhere along the line, she must have been more inspired by Hades ways than she thought.

 

The day after, she approaches the cheerleading squad in the changing rooms. They are fickle, predictable creatures of habit – which works for what she is about to set in motion. When they noticed Meg, the girls looked at her with thinly veiled disgust.

 

”So Susan, off to another exciting day throwing pom-poms in the air?” she asked, mockery thick in her voice.

 

”What do you care, slut?” Susan spat out, to which Meg only shrugged at. She’d heard worse.

 

”Oh I don’t know, its just that it surprises me that you would want to miss watching wonderboy all shirtless.”

 

”The cheerleaders never practice alongside the football team, those are the rules.”

 

”Really? You are going to let an archaic rule like that stop you from looking at 25 half-naked, good looking guys doing situps right now?”

 

”Wait – right now?!”

 

”Uh yeah, I just saw them. ”

 

* * *

 

Now the reason behind wanting them to practice at the same time is simple.

 

Because yesterday, she noticed a couple of things about Phil, personal trainer.

 

1\. He was a very short, stout little man

 

2\. The cheerleading captain – Theodora Splitz, was also a short, adult woman. And what the cheerleading team wanted, they could usually persuade their captain to agree to.

 

3\. Meg was no fool to the way Phil’s eyes wandered towards Theodora at yesterdays practice. She had only been around to check on something for a second, but she could tell that if she had stuck around longer, ol’ Phil would no longer be a problem.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I dont know anything about football :P


End file.
